Staff Writer 

For weeks, South Portland resident Christine Marshall has eyed the former Hutchins School building on Mosher Street in the Ferry Village Neighborhood longingly. Marshall said at night she has noticed “undesirables” gathering in the playground that was originally designed for toddlers.

“People in the neighborhood have noticed certain activity going on there,” she told the city council. 

On Monday, Marshall and other members of the Mad Horse Theatre Company outlined plans to turn the location into an outdoor tribute to the performing arts.

“Mad Horse Theater Company wants to use the space to store wardrobes and props and use as a rehearsal space,” Assistant City Manager Erik Carson said. “They would renovate the first floor bath to make it [Americans with Disabilities Act] accessible, add a three-quarter bath upstairs and use the property as a function space for fundraising.”

The 4,800 square-foot, city-owned building, assessed at more than $325,000, has been vacant since the People’s Regional Opportunity Program moved out of the space nearly a year ago, Carson said. Last fall, several real estate brokers told Carson the building, “nestled in a  residential area” would be difficult to sell given the current real estate market, he said. Should Mad Horse move in, Carson said they would pay the $24,500 annual utility fees and $400 monthly rent – revenue Marshall estimated is “5,000 percent” more than the building is currently providing the city. 

“We understand the lease is modest, nevertheless, it is an income for the city,” she said.

Improvements to the building would be funded through grants from the Maine Arts Commission. Finalizing a lease for the property is the first step in applying for funding, Marshall said.

“We can’t apply for grants for a building that we don’t own,” she said. 

A majority of the council was supportive of the concept, particularly the potential for daytime outdoor rehearsals by the theater company. 

“In a neighborhood like that, there’s something about hearing someone recite Shakespeare,” Councilor Patti Smith said. “It adds a really neat, interesting element to the outdoors in Maine.”

The council was expected to discuss the proposed lease agreement during its next meeting. 

While the city may have found a tenant for one empty city-owned building, discussions concerning the vacant former National Guard Armory on Broadway continued to revolve around several proposals ranging from a new city hall to a state-of-the art movie production sound stage.

“This is going to be a very different asset to decide what to do with,” Councilor Tom Coward said of the building. “The armory has been bedeviling the council and is not going to go away. Now that we’ve got this white elephant on our hands we need to feed it and figure out what to do.”

South Portland City Manager Jim Gailey said discussions about the armory’s potential for a sound stage were nearly ready to move from vague to concrete proposals.

“They [producers] are very excited,” he said. “They’re talking about building sets in the old drill hall, turning the front offices into wardrobe areas and possibly using some for kitchen shows and building walls for photo shoots. They have a lot of ideas, it’s just time to put it all on paper,” Gailey said

Cape Elizabeth resident Eric Matheson, who has made a living constructing movie sets, said several Maine-based producers were “in love” with the building and its potential for a sound stage and could present the council with a short-term lease agreement in upcoming weeks.

“I’ve met them, and these guys were incredibly enthusiastic about the space,” Councilor Linda Boudreau said. “But money is always an issue. I know we have partnered with other developers for other opportunities, maybe that would work here.”

When it comes to relocating city hall, –  Gailey said the current building on Cottage Road was being “held together by bailing wire and duct tape” – Gailey said he was discussing the possibility of moving into 100 Waterman Drive, a four-story office building owned by Commercial Real Estate Broker Andrew Ingalls rather than the armory. 

“The current city hall is 3,600 square feet, the armory is 4,200 and [100 Waterman Drive] is 80,000,” Gailey said. “Last I heard, the Waterman Drive building was selling for $5.3 million, and that includes some construction costs since the building is not yet ready to move into.”

A majority of the council said they were more concerned with the immediate needs of the current public works facility than moving city hall. 

“I am still firmly committed that we need to do something with the public works / bus service building,” Boudreau said. “Unfortunately it’s not a big sexy item that gets our voters all excited.”

The council agreed to schedule a site walk of the current public works building in upcoming weeks. 

Staff Writer Nate Jones may be reached at 282-4337 ext. 233.